Columns and news covering Minnesota Duluth Bulldog Hockey, and the NCHC;
occasionally the WCHA, college hockey in Minnesota, and MTU.

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Sunday Thoughts: Week 2

Numbers Stacking Up in Early Season

UMD has now played two series in the new 2012-13
season. Both have been against arguably
quality non-conference opponents and both have ended in splits. What is interesting, or alarming, is that the
Bulldogs have won the first game of each series and lost the second.

In the wins, the team has looked good for early season
play. They have taken advantage of
opportunities that were there. The losses
have been difficult to watch full of missed opportunities and lackluster play.

The question moving into WCHA paly is how to take that first
night effort and make it a habit. Coach
Sandelin has proven time and time again that he is capable of turning mediocre
teams into believers and getting the most out of players. It is time to put that fix in and stack up some
wins.

Early, but Numbers Add Up.
Most teams can’t see trends yet because the numbers are so limited and
the Bulldogs are no different except in the category of penalties. UMD is good at taking penalties. They are currently 8th in country
for penalty minutes per game, but there are no teams with more penalty kill
attempts than UMD at 25.

The good news out of all this is that the Bulldogs have
killed 22 of the 25 man disadvantages good for 88% kill rate. That number is very good considering the huge
amount of penalties taken. It is living
on the edge right now taking so many penalties and staying even in the win/loss
column at 2-2-0.

Coming Up. This
coming weekend is the start of UMD’s WCHA schedule against Wisconsin at
Duluth. Four other series will be played
in conference.

Also coming up this week is the rejuvenation of the College
Hockey HighHorse StatPack. Look for the
Bulldogs – Badgers stat comparisons in one place, the StatPack.